1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a medicine for treatment of cervical erosion (erosio portionis). More particularly, this invention relates to a medicine for treatment of cervical erosion comprising L-carnosine or physiologically acceptable salts thereof as an effective ingredient.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Cervical erosion refers to an inflamed condition in which the squamous flat epithelia that usually cover the uterine cervix are replaced by columnar epithelia of a fresh scarlet color. Pathohistologically, an erosion refers to a state where epithelia desquamates and what we mean by cervical erosion is not the same as this genuine erosion but may be called a pseudo-erosion.
In terms of macroscopic findings, cervical erosion is generally classified into the following three categories: (1) where the boundary between the adjacent tissues and the eroded part covered by columnar epithelia is relatively obscure, the surface being devoid of convexities and concavities; a simple erosion which has a fresh scarlet color, (2) where the surface has assumed a papillar form through the proliferation of columnar epithelia representing a papillar-like erosion attended by a fresh scarlet color full of convexities and concavities and (3) where, because of the closure of the secretory glands, the secretion gathers on the surface of the uterine cervix, leading to the production of small cysts on the eroded surface. It is the practice to classify erosions into these three categories, but it is maintained that no special distinction is necessary from the viewpoint of treatment.
As for the genesis of cervical erosion, many theories have been proposed to date. R. Meyer (1910) said that inflammation of the uterine cervix brings about an increased secretion of alkaline substance and, because of this secretion, flat epithelia of the uterine cervix tend to fall off, resulting in a genuine erosion. Subsequently, columnar epithelia come to proliferate to cover that portion devoid of epithelia thus producing a pseudo-erosion. According to Kaufmann et al. (1958), the presence of genuine erosion is not necessary for the emergence of columnar epithelia on the surface of the uterine cervix and when a woman attains sexual maturity the uterine cervix is caused to enlarge in volume by estrogen and because of this, the inside of the uterine cervix comes to be reversed and an erosion will set in. Meyer's theory is refuted by many modern investigators but, at any rate, no satisfactory explanation regarding the genesis of cervical erosion has yet been put forth.
Simple cervical erosion is free from any particular grave symptoms but the eroded surface is susceptible to bacterial infection and inflammation of the uterine cervix is often observed as a complication. Subjective symptoms include leucorrhea, vaginal bleeding through sexual contact, abdominal pain and lumbago.
For treatment of cervical erosion, such antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicines as AZAROMYCIN-F (Sankyo Co., Ltd.), TRICHOMYCIN (Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), SOLCOSERYL (Tobishi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), PENTAMYCIN-K (Nikken Chemical Co., Ltd.) have been employed. Although these medicines have indirect effects in treatment of cervical erosion, they fall far short of a radical cure. As further measures, recourse is had to the local administration of AgNO.sub.3 solution, electric cauterization, high frequency electric coagulation and cauterization with laser beam, but the effectiveness of these measures in inducing regeneration of epithelia is far from being satisfactory. As a final measure, since there is no definite cure employing either medicines or physical therapy, surgery is used. That is to say, the uterine cervix including the eroded portion is surgically excised in a conical manner. This conical excision cannot, however, be applied to light and heavy cases of cervical erosion alike. In young women, in particular, there is a fear that infertility may result and, for this reason, this surgical operation is not widely practised. Therefore, a radical treatment of the disease by some kind of medicine would be best but at present no medicine capable of providing such treatment is available.